Lawnswood roundabout redesign branded as a Leeds council 'vanity project' by worried local residents

Leeds City Council has drawn up proposals to redesign Lawnswood Roundabout, which it says will make the junction safer, following a spate of accidents over the last five years. Under the scheme, the junction would be traffic lighted, while bus and cycle lanes will be created to help improve the flow of those vehicles from Otley Road and the A6120.

But opponents say this will mean more cars coming to a standstill at the roundabout, increasing congestion and air pollution, and that the £9.3m cost is not value for money.

Graham Sugden, chair of the West Park Residents Association, said there were “serious concerns” in the community. “The council have acknowledged that for most of the day traffic will pass through the junction at a slower pace, particularly at busy times,” Mr Sugden, 71, said. “That will cause more stationary traffic and more pollution and more stationary traffic.”

Campaigners fought off previous plans to redesign the junction in 2018, which would have seen the green space in the middle of the roundabout removed altogether, along with at least 17 trees. Mr Sugden acknowledged that while the new proposals were “not as dramatic” as the previous version, they would still have a “detrimental impact” on the environment, with the roundabout’s middle due to be altered to make way for traffic lights.

He stressed that the Residents Association were not “anti-cyclist”, but that there were genuine safety concerns for bikers using cycle lanes that run alongside driveways in the area. He explained: “Cars back straight out onto the footpath at the moment, but pedestrians are slow-moving and you can generally see them. If you’ve got a cyclist coming down the road at 20-odd miles per hour, there’s increased potential for accidents. We’re not against changes. We’d fully accept that crossings need to be put on for the benefit of cyclists and pedestrians. But £9.3m to do all of this is just crazy.”

Chris Howley, Liberal Democrat councillor for Weetwood, was also highly critical of the plans and said the money could be better spent on a park-and-ride facility for north Leeds, or a “new station between Horsforth and Lawnswood”.

Coun Howley added: “The more I learn about it, the more I’m incensed about it. It seems to me a complete vanity project with no real benefit at all. I think it will punish car drivers. I’d be looking for a scheme that offers value for money, did improve safety, but helped the general flow of traffic. If you’re a pedestrian or a cyclist I’m fully of the view more can be done, but it’s whether or not we need to spend £9m to £10m to get this done. I think it’s not convincing at all at this stage. “

In response, a council spokesperson said the roundabout has a “poor safety record”, with 18 collisions at the junction resulting in injury between 2017 and 2022. They added: “By signalising the roundabout, the proposed design will improve safety, as the likelihood of conflicts between vehicles entering and vehicles circulating the roundabout will be reduced. Bringing forward a scheme at this location will be in line with the council’s recently adopted Vision Zero strategy, which sets a target that no one be killed or seriously injured on our roads by 2040.

“The current roundabout lacks effective provision for cycling and walking, with no formal crossings and no segregation between cyclists and pedestrians, which is particularly concerning given the proximity to Lawnswood School.”

The council added: “The proposed design will introduce signalised crossings and segregated cycle tracks, making travel by active modes safer and more attractive. By improving facilities for pedestrians and cyclists and improving bus journeys, the scheme is expected to encourage modal shift away from private car, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality overall. The proposals will be the subject of emission modelling work to provide more detail.”

The local authority said that nearly 53 per cent of respondents had backed the scheme in a recent public consultation, with 35 per cent indicating they were against it.

Addressing concerns about the potential dangers to cyclists, the council said: “The proposed cycle track passing houses on the ring road will enable cyclists to safely access the signalised cycle crossings, which enable cyclists to traverse Lawnswood roundabout without coming into conflict with motor vehicles. Similar layouts have been implemented elsewhere in the city with no increase in recorded road traffic collisions involving (vehicles) from properties observed in these locations.”

An outline business case is being developed for the scheme to establish how value for money it is. This will then be reviewed by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, most likely in the early summer.